The invention relates generally to providing protective covering of vehicles and, more specifically, to vehicle covers adapted to be conveniently retained.
It has long been important to provide protection of a vehicle, such as a car, truck, sport utility vehicle, or other passenger vehicle, for both safety and maintenance reasons. For example, when a vehicle is parked out of doors in cold temperatures and exposed to relatively moist air, such as in the spring or fall, the cold surfaces of the vehicle may cause condensation of the moisture from the air. Such condensation upon the vehicle""s windows can result in poor visibility by an operator when the vehicle is subsequently operated, thereby causing an issue with respect to safety. This condensation can be difficult to remove, particularly when frozen, such as in a thin layer of frost.
Additionally, when a vehicle is parked out of doors in most any weather conditions damage to the vehicle may result. For example, the unimpeded rays of the sun may cause extreme temperatures to result inside of vehicle compartments, such as a passenger cockpit, a trunk, or the like. Moreover, such solar rays may deteriorate materials from which the vehicle is made, such as by breaking down the hydrocarbon chains of various plastics and rubbers and destroying paint coatings.
Damage to vehicles may result from physical assaults occurring in nature, both weather related and otherwise. For example, hail stones resulting from weather conditions causing precipitation to freeze into relatively large masses can cause damage to paint coatings as well as to other vehicle materials such as metal and glass. Matter dropped from overhanging trees, such as leaves, branches, and sap, can both stain vehicle surfaces and cause damage to various materials. Matter deposited upon the vehicle from animals, such as birds, can similarly result in stains and other damage.
Providing a covering over the vehicle""s surfaces has been long known to provide at least some measure of protection to the vehicle for weather and other sources of damage. A highly effective covering may be provided in the form of a garage or other structure into which the vehicle may be driven. However, such structures are typically expensive and may not always be available. For example, persons owning vehicles may live in an apartment complex which does not provide parking shelters for their tenants"" vehicles. Likewise, a vehicle may be parked out of doors when the operator thereof travels about, such as when going to work or shopping.
A sheet of material, such as cotton duck, may be placed over the windshield of a vehicle to prevent moist air from circulating across the surface overnight to avoid condensation from collecting on the window. However, such protective coverings tend to be difficult to attach to the vehicle and, therefore, are highly susceptible to being lost due to wind or theft.
Covers sized and shaped to cover the entire vehicle have also been used to provide a protective covering. For example, covers fitted for a particular vehicle, both custom fitted for a particular make and model as well as fitted for a category of vehicle, such as full sized sedan, have been used to provide protective coverings. These covers may employ some form of girth strap or cable, traversing underneath the vehicle from side to side, to discourage their removal from theft or wind. Such girth straps are difficult to install and remove. Alternatively, these covers may employ some form of weighting around the perimeter. Such perimeter weights are prone to damaging the vehicle when the cover is installed, removed, or when billowing in the wind. Moreover, such perimeter weights are wholly ineffective in preventing loss due to theft.
In addition to the aforementioned problems with attaching the various forms of covers to a vehicle, previous solutions have generally been difficult to install upon the vehicle. For example, an individual is often without assistance when installing a protective cover and will experience the frustration of placing one portion of the cover in a desired position on the vehicle frustration is compounded when attempting to install the cover with even a small amount of wind.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a protective cover which is adapted to be easily retained, such as to discourage loss due to wind or theft. Moreover, a need exists in the art for a protective cover which is easily installed, even by a single individual.
The present invention is directed to systems and methods which provide a cover having a retaining piping disposed along an edge thereof. According to a preferred embodiment, retaining piping of a cover of the present invention is disposed such that a portion of the cover passes through an opening in a vehicle, or other object to be covered, and the retaining piping cannot pass through the opening, thereby preventing the removal of the cover from the vehicle.
Preferably, covers of the present invention are adapted to include retaining piping disposed for easy installation of the cover upon the vehicle. For example, retaining piping may be disposed to correspond with a vehicle trunk lid gap, to thereby facilitate an individual opening the trunk, inserting an edge of the cover having retaining piping along an end of trunk, and closing the trunk lid to securely retain the cover. Thereafter, the individual may fully deploy the cover knowing that at least the aforementioned edge will be held in place securely as remaining portions of the cover are moved into a desired position.
Moreover, irrespective of wind or attempts at removal by a would-be-thief, preferred embodiments of the present invention will not allow removal of the cover from the vehicle once the retaining piping is engaged, without damaging the cover. Of course, the cover may be easily removed, when desired, by again opening the gap into which the retaining piping is placed, such as by unlocking the vehicle""s trunk and opening the trunk lid.
It should be appreciated that covers of the present invention are not limited to a single edge having the aforementioned retaining piping. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention include a plurality of retaining pipings. For example, retaining piping of the present invention may be disposed along opposing edges of a cover to minimize the movement of the cover possible after its installation.
Accordingly, a technical advantage of the present invention is that vehicle covers are adapted to be easily retained when deployed. Moreover, a technical advantage of the present invention is that vehicle covers are easily installable.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.